APRIL 30, 2019, WASHINGTON — The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education today approved its fiscal year 2020 bill. In total, the bill includes $189.8 billion in discretionary funding, an increase of $11.7 billion over the 2019 enacted level and $47.8 billion over the President’s 2020 budget request. As a member of the Subcommittee, Rep. Clark helped to advance a number of Democratic priorities.

“House Democrats are working every day to advance policies that put the needs of the American people first, and today, the Appropriations Committee set a roadmap of how we will use federal funding to support these goals. 

“Since coming to Congress, I have led the effort to expand Head Start and the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) because child care is as central to the economy’s success as investments in our roads and bridges. This year, with the support of over half of the Democratic Caucus, the Appropriations Committee is proposing an almost $4 billion increase to both programs, taking thousands of kids off waitlists and putting them into classrooms.

“Following through on the legislation I passed last October, the Committee designated $25 million to repay the loans of students who join the substance use disorder treatment workforce. Currently, a shortage of treatment professionals is a significant roadblock to recovery for far too many Americans struggling with opioid addiction. These resources will help us save lives. 

“Finally, after nearly two decades of inaction, we are investing $50 million in gun violence research, dollars that will help us understand where and why gun violence occurs. Unlike our Republican colleagues, we refuse to allow special interests to control Congress and prevent action to reduce gun violence.”

The bill next heads to the full Committee for markup. A full outline of the FY 2020 Appropriations bills can be found here. 

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